Don't Forget Me
by Gracie-Joy
Summary: "One year. Meet me here in one year" Elizabeth told him. Mr Darcy is back, but where is Elizabeth? Memories haunt Darcy and he is sure he has lost her forever. Will she keep her promise and return as he has done? One shot.


**Don't Forget Me**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. One phrase belongs to Jane Austen.**

He stood there, cold rain beating upon his hunched shoulders. His hands were pushed deep into the pockets of his drenched coat. He shuffled his feet feeling the water squelch between his toes. No doubt the leather was ruined by now.  
He waited. He waited because he believed; because he had faith.

_Don't forget me, Fitzwilliam_, haunting ghosts flashed through his mind; endless silky skin, bright brilliant flashing eyes, chestnut curls upon her head.

_I promise I'll come back_, she whispered in his ear. He shivered at the memory of her hot breath tickling the side of his neck. He remembered her small hands clasping tightly together, her skin- darker than most from her fondness of walking- blushing a delicate shade of pink.

_One year. Meet me here in one year,_ she had said. Still the rain pounded through the foggy haze under the charcoal clouds, wrapping upon his back as a reminder of her twinkling laugh that had sent delighted shivers down his spine and those lips which constantly twitched with the urge to smile. He admired that mind that found amusement in the world.

_No doubt you'll be all grown up by then_, she teased but those liquid eyes were still sorrowful at their parting. She'd only known how to laugh at their misgivings and blunderings. He remembered the day they had picnicked together at Oakham Mount, her sisters running wildly about with the kite Charlie had fixed for their amusement.  
He remembered the way the sun lit up her hair into golden ringlets and the light reflected off those dancing eyes. He remembered the way she'd closed those eyes, tipped back her head and laughed gaily, spinning in circles until dizziness struck.

_Oh Darcy, _laugh _with me_, she'd pleaded. She'd tilted her head with an amused expression, as if he were a puzzle she couldn't put together and held out her hand to show him the way.

_Don't forget me_, she whispered again. Louder this time. He almost whipped his head around, hoping to discover those deep eyes he so much admired. But he knew he was just a fool.

_I won't forget you_, he'd whispered back to her. He'd taken those clasped hands in his and pressed his lips to them in a silent seal to his promise. He remembered the disappointment before the promise.

_I must go abroad for a year_ he'd told her. The way her lips had frozen, her skin paled. He remembered her hands beginning to ring together in anxiousness. He remembered even the pale string of her bonnet waving silently in the wind making their own goodbye.

_So long_, she'd managed to say after a moment of tense silence.

_You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you_, he'd said. He remembered the way her hands had trembled in his. He remembered the way astonishment had lightened her features.

_Fitzwilliam,_ her voice breathed in his ear once more. He rolled his shoulders beneath his coat now water logged and heavy. He'd loved the way his name rolled across her tongue. The way she pronounced every syllable with thoughtfulness, as if she had studied every letter before speaking them aloud. Oh how he loved the way she would talk.

_You won't need that glare here Mr. Darcy. I like to imagine we're friends_, she'd tease him about his solemn nature when in company. _Is it tiresome Mr. Darcy when one is always so serious? Sh_e'd asked mischievously. He delighted in the memory of that cheeky smile that had flittered across her features.

_Only when in your company, Ms. Elizabeth,_ he'd told her, a smile edging across his lips. He remembered she was the only one to break through his countenance with the impertinence she had mustered from beneath the layers of propriety.

_You only need one glass of wine, Mr. Darcy. Anymore and I fear your façade shall crack and you might smile_, she told him at the dinner table. He had found himself positioned quite advantageously next to her and she had leant over to whisper her teasing. He had caught the smell of lavender wafting his way and he remembered the intrigue he felt at the scent.

_Some say that laughter is good for the soul Ms. Elizabeth_, he had told her in return. At that her laughter had rung out loud drawing the attention of the rest of their dinner companions. He remembered some had marveled at her ability to laugh with him. They marveled at her ability to make him smile. So did he.

_I'll miss you_, she had whispered shyly looking up through her dark lashes to glance at his face. She'd seemed almost frightened of the words.

_Elizabeth_, he had said._ It will only be a year. I must help my family abroad and you shall hardly notice the passing of time._ Oh how he longed to know what she thought in that moment. He wondered if she'd known how slowly the time had travelled that year apart from her.

_Come back to Hertfordshire. One year on this day we shall meet again. One year. Meet me here in one year, she had declared_. He had sealed their pact with a kiss. Her lips had been soft and reassuring, eagerly attaching to his. He remembered how soft the skin on her neck had felt against his fingertips.

_Mr. Darcy, you're here early,_ she had greeted him with delight though clearly puzzled by the divot between her brows that he had longed to reach out and smooth.

_If you had been a gentlemen_, her harsh words beat hotly against his ears and he cringed at the memory. He wondered if she remembered that time and had changed her mind. He wondered if she had really forgiven him.  
His boots squelched in the water swimming about his feet and he reluctantly turned to face the direction he had come from. The rain had lightened somewhat but he knew the sun was sinking behind the dark clouds that blanketed the clouds.

_Reading does one good Mr. Darcy, but what of the occupants in the room with no book or do not delight in reading?_ She had asked one stormy night. The Bingely's and Bennet's had been trapped together after dinner one time and she had politely dispatched from the card tables to join him on the sofa.

_You seem lonely Mr. Darcy_, she had told him solemnly. Little did he know how close to home those words had struck. Little did she know how well she really understood him.

_How could one be lonely in a room full of people?_ He had asked, avoiding her statement as best as possible. He smiled at the memory of her arched eyebrow.

_One can be lonely anywhere in this world Mr. Darcy. It truly is a sorrowful world_, she had said. Her wise words had never been so accurate. He marveled at her knowledge of the world for one so young. Not even he had discovered the nature of sorrow and yet she seemed the expert. _One is only lonely when one is sad. One is only sad because he chooses to be_, she had argued.

Oh how he missed it all! She was the most admirable woman of his acquaintance and he reveled in the fact that he had won her affection, no doubt though some form of divine intervention. Or at least he had held her affection this very day one year ago. For hours he had stood in the rain, letting it pound against his body, drowning him in his sorrows. For hours he had allowed it to ruin the leather on his shoe and the wool of his coat. Yet it didn't seem to bother him that they had been ruined. Materials seemed a completely unfathomable thought against love.

Love that he had lost.

"I do hope you haven't given in on me Mr. Darcy," she said.

"No, I…" his words cut off, finally recognizing the voice as a reality. His ghost that had been Elizabeth had vanished without a trace and there before him stood the real Elizabeth.

"You came," he said, still unable to comprehend that she was before him. Her head tilted to the side in that familiar amused expression.

"I hope you didn't wait too long," she said taking a step closer to him in the puddle ground. His heart pounded remembering the sound of her voice. It was exactly the same as his memories had kept.

"Not at all," he said, he also took a step closer to the other. Their eyes finally met through the rain and a brilliant smile lit her face. Over the grass she ran and leapt into his arms as only she could. He caught her with ease, wrapping his arms around the woman that had never left his mind for a single moment.

"It's so good to see you," she murmured, her face buried in the crook of his neck, her breath warming his skin. He set her feet back on the ground and lifted her chin with his finger to gaze into his eyes.

"A year a way from you was too long. Never will I do it again," He told her firmly, her eyes smiled exactly the way he remembered and before he could consider propriety he had bent his head to kiss her, wrapping them up in the warmth they had created. It was he that pulled back first and silently they examined each other, raindrops pouring down their faces that bore smiles more genuine than ever before.

"Marry me, Elizabeth. Be my wife so we never have to part again," he said, tightening his arms around her waist. She rested her head against his wet clothing and gripped his waist coat tighter in her fists.

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you. I love you, Fitzwilliam," She breathed, turning her face up to meet his again.

"I love you too," he murmured before crushing her lips between his once more, giving into to the temptation they had both harboured for so long.  
It would be a long time before either left the others embrace.

**A/N: Just something that I quickly wrote because I couldn't get it out of my head (:**

**Do review and tell me what you think. Don't be afraid to point out the flaws and mistakes (:**

**Thank you for reading (:**


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